Interstellar (2014)
I've been a fan of Nolan's work since Memento. Like most people I discovered the film on DVD and might have missed the film entirely had it not been for it sharing cast members with "The Matrix" (which was enormously popular at the time).
However I've generally preferred Nolan's smaller more intimate works to his big blockbusters. For me personally, The Prestige is a much more satisfying experience than "The Dark Knight". By Nolan's standards that made "Inception" a bit of a disappointment for me. It still had the bombastic blockbusteriness of the Batman films and didn't seem to develop central characters like Memento, The Prestige or even Insomnia.
Suffice it to say, Interstellar is still blockbustery and the stunning visuals are generally not as rich as those in Inception. (Though we have some absolutely awesome robots and a pretty incredible trip through a worm hole. So I'm in no way dissing the visuals. However, it features some much more solid characterisation. McConnaughey is absolutely fantastic in the lead role and solidly holds up the emotional heart of the film with his powerful yet subtle facial expressions.
Anne Hathaway is great in her role too and there's a very impressive appearance from Matt Damon. Jessica Chastain is alright but I thought she was rather outdone by the actress playing the younger version of her character.
There's a very strong theme connecting survival and love. So it's unfortunate that possibly the worst part in the entire film is a speech Anne Hathaway is expected to deliver about how love transcends science. It's somewhat helped that the speech is given out of desperation, but unfortunately it somewhat undermines Hathaway's character's credibility as a scientist.
Overall, since I put a lot of stock in how much I enjoy characters, I very nearly preferred this to Inception. I believed in the people involved and it wasn't only the protagonist's issues which seemed.to matter. Also the film didn't feel so exposition heavy this time. The story turned out to be pretty straightforward and.tied up neatly. (I was also very pleased we didn't run into Spielberg-esque paternal-aliens.)
I think spectators will benefit from a background in sci-fi. Interstellar sees the return of the time dilation which made up a central part of the premise in "Flight Of The Navigator" and we also see the explanation of wormholes from "Event Horizon" but in each case those known sci-fi components get a new twist. (For example, what does a wormhole look like, on the outside and the inside?)
Interstellar isn't perfect, but it does so much brilliantly that it deserves full credit. Still the parts back in Earth do not work anything like so well and there isn't the same consistent drama and spectacle which made Inception work so well. But this is still a great piece of work from director Christopher Nolan and just not quite so great considering the high standards now attached to that name.
A+
All Chris Nolan Movies Ranked
9. Dark Knight Rises (2012)
In spite of a great atmosphere, some of the best action set-pieces in this trilogy and the talents of Tom Hardy in the lead role, this still isn't up to scratch. Nolan has a lother of tricks up his sleeve to drag us in and make it feel epic, but beneath the surface things don't completely make sense. The entire police force are trapped underground or in hiding yet eventually they are able fight the baddies with their bare hands. Batman starts the story out of shape and yet is eventually able to perform a remarkable leap with a damaged spine and no cartilage in his knees. And Marion Cotillard's character is thin as hell. Tom Hardy's villain isn't all that special either. The ones who get to make the best impact here are Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a potential Batman sidekick. So even at his worst, Nolan is still able to do a pretty great job.
B-
8. Following (1998)
A small black and white film which starts brilliantly, exploring the corruption of an aspiring writer who has made a game out of following people. However, the final twist comes out of nowhere mostly because certain plot elements are rather hard to keep up with. Still this is more than a solid film and.well worth your time. Particularly if you are a Nolan completist. It actually benefits from being one of Nolan's smaller projects.
B+
7. Insomnia (2002)
A strong Al Pacino performance as the lead and a surprisingly good performance from Robin Williams as the villain. Unfortunately the story isn't quite as good as it could be. Yet even so this still feels like an improvement on the original. (This is a remake of a Scandinavian film.)
B+
6. The Dark Knight (2008)
I know everyone loves this movie, but I have.some serious problems with the third act. It feels like the Two Face villain is hurriedly crowbarred into the last section of the film. It's also a real pity that tricks Joker's arc is never really properly finished off. Clearly they wanted to bring the Joker back later and never had the chance. But there's a lot that is very good here. I won't deny that. But it's not one of Nolan's best by my reckoning.
A-
5. Interstellar (2014)
Some great emotional moments, some solid new additions to the sci-fi genre (the robots, the inside of a wormhole, subverting the Steinberg parental alien) and a fantastic central performance from McConnaughey. It all ties together nicely but the parts on Earth are rather less impressive.
A+
4. Inception (2010)
A smorgasbord of trippy visuals centred around a central relationship between Di Caprio and Cotillard. There's some wonderful sci-fi here. Annoyingly the many side-characters are just that, left on the side, but there's a lot of fun to be had here.
A+
3. Batman Begins (2005)
My favourite Batman movie. Having Batman mentored by Liam Neeson and making a conscious decision to adopt the Bat as a symbol to strike fear in his enemies, were ideas that really spoke to me. And of course the Batmobile is a tank. Genius! And Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow? Wow!
A+
2. Memento (2000)
The movie which first got me into Nolan movies. I was convinced to watch this partly because of good reviews, but mostly because of stars from "The Matrix" in the cast.
It seems strange that Joe Pantilano and Carrie-Anne Moss are seen so very little these days (certainly not nearly enough). Yet meanwhile Guy Peace, the star of Memento who seemed like an unknown at the time (I did not remember him from "Priscilla Queen of the Desert"), remains a huge star.
Guy Pearce gives a wonderful performance here as a man with a curious case of amnesia. He can remember his past, but he cannot remember his present. His long term memory will not retain anything.
This is essentially a noir thriller and the interesting psychological case makes for an interesting twist on the genre.
A+
1. The Prestige (2006)
It's tough deciding which I like best out of Prestige and Memento, but once again it's an intriguing premise expertly brought to the screen. The idea of magic at the dawn of science is a curious one and the mysterious historical figure of Nikolai Tesla looms large over the central 'rival magicians' storyline.
This is a very clever mystery with unexpected twists and turns and one of the first films to seriously explore Hugh Jackman's acting talent outside of the role of Wolverine. (That being said, I was always a little unsure as to where he is supposed to be from. Is he just randomly an American in Victorian London?)
This is a film which takes full advantage of some excellent talent to provide a story unlike anything else. A unique film, though until following other reviewers on Letterboxd I had not realised how divisive it was.
A+